From main site OT: Christmas at Hogwarts

[davewitley]

Meidbh wrote:

> If JKR wanted to make a religious statement she'd have 
> included school prayers, a school chaplain or a school church. The 
> absence of any of these in a school the size, age and location of 
> Hogwarts is significant. A major theme of the books is 
inclusiveness 
> and tolerance, and as at all the best parties, the expression of 
> strong opinions regarding RW sex, politics or religion would be 
> inappropriate.

I'm still very much in two minds about whether there is - or will 
turn out to be - much of a religious message in Harry Potter.  I 
don't see a strong resemblance (even though others do) to CS Lewis 
and JRR Tolkien in that regard.  It's certainly possible to have a 
strong Christian message without reference to prayers and so forth, 
even in a school story, simply by expressing the message 
symbolically.

However, I don't feel that the expression of a strong opinion about 
religion (or sex or politics) is inappropriate because a major theme 
is inclusiveness and tolerance.  After all, IMO being strongly in 
favour of inclusiveness is in itself a strong political opinion, and 
one which is often based on a religious belief.

That religion, politics, and sex are not discussed at parties is 
surely merely a quirk of the late 20th and early 21st Century west, 
and our descendants will doubtless laugh at us for being so 
repressed.

David